Laundry list printer and counter



Sept. 6, 1932. H, HlRsCH 1,875,870-

LAUNDRY LIST PRINTER AND COUNTER Filed Nov. 19, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet l I' a @QN I 0d" -/N N N 0 1 w Spt. 6, 1932,. H. HlRscH 1,875,870

LAUNDRY LIST PRlNTER AND COUNTER Filed Nov. 19, 1951 5 sheets-Sheet 2 1 "w *im Sept. 6, 1932. H. HlRscH l 1,875,870

LAUNDRY LIST PRINTER AND COUNTER I Filed Nov. 19. 1931 5 sheets-sheet 3 NNI Sept. 6, 1932.

H. HlRscH LAUNDRY LIST PRINTER AND COUNTER Filed Nov. 19. 1951 A lf5 `Sheets-Sheet' 4 www" Sept. 6, 1932. H. HxRsci-l LAUNDRY LIST PRINTER AND CGUNTER Filed Nov. 19.

1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED strati-:sv

PATENT, OFFICE HENRY HIRscR, or JERSEY CITY, NRWJRRSEY l LAUNDRY Lisr :PRINTER rAND COUNTER' Application md November 19,1931. serial No. 576,197.

Y ed slips of paper are used which contain a list of all kinds of articles that may belaundered, and in listing the rcontents of a laundry bundle a suitable check is sometimes made on one of the printed lists on the name of each article thereon, corresponding to a like ar-k ticle or articles in said bundle, and the number of each of the articles in the bundle is written by hand on said Vslip opposite the name of said article which has been checked on the slip. n

In order that the articles coming` from individual customers may be identified, segregated and packed after the laundering process has been'completed, it is also customary to affix. certain identifying means, preferably in the form of a pin or check, to each article prior to said process, said pin or check remaining attached to the' article during the washing orlaund'ering operation, the pins in the above instance being associatedk with an individual holder whereby only the pins originally contained in said holder may again be entered therein. From the/foregoing it will be seen that the printed list of laundered articles will have writtenthereon the number of each article in the bundle received from the customer and the accuracy of this number depends on the efficiency of the clerk in making an accurate count of the articles. Further, each article has affixed thereto a check or identifying pin. In the assembling or packing room the aforesaid pin holder and the sheetvor slip containing the laundry list,

the written laundry list indicates thenuin-V ber of articles to be expected it is only necessary to find the pins corresponding to a pin holder and the articles are then ready for packing and delivery. i f

In view ofthe factthat lthe articles ref ceived from a customer have attached thereto only like pins or checkscoming from a single pin holder, and since only such pins Y or checks can'be again entered into the holder for identifying purposes, as aforesaid, this portion of the present practice in launderies admirably serves for purposes vofv identication. But the count of the articles bythe clerk and the entry on Vthe laundry slip .of t-he number of the articles cannot be `de' pended upon and quite frequently the said slip .will indicate that four shirts have been received froma customer and after this'quantity of shirts have been packed for, delivery, or actually sent to a customer, another shirt will be found bearing an identifying pin be- Y longing to a holder temporarily reserved for that particular customer. 1.

Briefly, the disadvantage ofl this practice is that the clerk frequently makes an error in the count of the articles and thus enters the wrong number'on the list, and hence, the

assembler makes a further error ofi sending l out the completed laundry as soon as the numberof` articles located agrees with the writing pins issued, great delay occurs inthe attempt .to locate an article, which, accord-A ing to the inaccurate slip, maybe somewhere in the laundering establishmentor in the possession of another customer.

It is, therefore, the primary object ofthe present invention to provide a machine that will prevent mistakes in listing the number ofthe articles, since it will print only the -number of a particular article contained in a laundrybundle. Y Another object is to provide a machine adapted to removably receive a holder containing a plurality of identifying pins, said machine embodying printing mechanism adapted to be'operated byV lifting the lid Vof the holderv as single pins are'removedgthe operating of said lid for thememovalmof single pins from the4 holderbperatingsaid L00 Y for maintaining said typev roller infa nonprinting mechanism step by step so that the quantity-indicating character borne by a type roller embodied in said mechanism willl agree with the number of pins removed and will -further be in position to print that num-v ber on a laundry tag opposite the name of the article to,V which the pinstare to be attached.

Another object-of the invention is to provide mechanism wherein the single upera.

tion of a foot-pedal, orthe likewill cause l the pre-set quantityindicating 'character' to be impressed on a laundry list or tag,'will eject the pin holder from the machineand will restorerthe type roller, bearingjthe qualif tity-indicating characters, to its initial position.. *Y

Y Still yanother Objectis to provide 1 vmeans A1 further object is to providelnovel type roller operating mechanism adapted to. be brought into operable position by the insertion'offthe pin holder within areeeptacle and during the removal. off individual vpins Yand "lifting the-lid of' the holder.v l

Still another objectief thejinvention. sides= in the provisioni of4 certain tagjloeatingY meansl whereby said tag` may be` main.-

A tained in proper position before the print'- othersfwhichfwill appearas the description ing operation and wherein it'may be removed after' said operation.

With these `obects in view, together with pr0ceeds,.the invention. resides in the novel formation, combination, and arrangement of parts, all aswillbe described morefully hereinaftenillustrated inthe drawings,fand par'- t'icularly` pointed out `in the claims.

L In said drawings:A f

F igurel is arfront elevation 4of the machine. Fig. 2 is a rear elevationof Fig. l. Fig. 3ds atop plan view of themachine'.Y Fig. 4 is an .end elevationY with; the pin holder andthe ribbon and spools removed.

:Fig: 5 rear elevation of the machineY showing the-parts in positionA after the print:-

ing operation and after the ejectment yof Vthe pinholder.

' Fig. 6- is a fragmentary :tront elevation of Ythe machine with vthe type roller :cover removed tofl eXposeythe positions of they parts Y thereben'eath during the printing operation'.

7 isa view 'likeunto Fig. 6, but showing the type roller elevated rand the positions of thelin'dex. and typeregister pawls priortoltle and 3)..

line 8 8 of Fig. 5, showing the tag locating pin elevated to permit the removal of said tag.

Fig. -9 is a sectional view taken onthe line 9-9ofI Fig. 1 depicting the spring-tensioned. .type roller.

u Fig. 10 is a vi ew of the laundry list or tag.

Fig. 1l' is a'diagrammatic view illustrating .the use of a spring` to elevate the operating lever after the pressure onv a foot pedal, or the jlike,.has-been released.

Fig. 12 isa v'ew of check. f

l Fig; 13is'a plan view'oiv apin holder..Y Fig. 1`4fis a. central longitudinal sectional viewithereoi` f Fig. 15 is a front elevation of Athe holder.

the identifying pin 4or Fig. 16": is a frontelevationof the holder' with the cover removed.v y

Fig. 17 is a lfragmentary sectional lview takeny onthe line 17-17v of` Fig. lshowing the four point star wheel blocking the removal-fof more than one pin fromthe holder'at one time.Y i Y Referring 'now more-1n detailto the accom.-

panying drawings, wherein like charactersfof Y e reference denote similar parts throughout theV several views, let 5 indicate Y. generallyA the mainframe o-'the machine, said frame embodyingv a substantially rectangular base 6,

(fseeFig- 3),. andan vupstanding'` portion 7, i

which rises verticallyV fromV said base (i and whichf is Vprovidedi withanE opening 8, (see Figs.. 2. ands') extending entirely through said upstanding portion'?y fromrront to rear and havingfits Lipper edge terminating slightlyv above the midrfseotion of said portion 7.

As shown in Fig..2 lateral arms 9 and? 10 project from the. lopposite-edges ofthe portion 7 to'serveas-supports for the ink ribbony feed mechanism which will be described ini detail hereinafter.; Said main rframe also includes a web 111, arranged at right angles to the upstanding portion?? adjacent the lateral. arm 9, anda somewhat similarly disposed block 12 positioned at the left of Web 11, (see Figs. 2

vbe notedV that said base 6 is recessed .at its undersurface.,.and 4when the plate 13 is aliXed ,to saidl base there is presented a slot 14' which extends transversely of saidl base andA whose side walls converge from the front to the rear of said base, as indicated' clearly by dotted lines in said Fig.Y 3. This slot 14 is adapted to'receive a laundry tagA, oi the type shown in Fig. l0, and in order that tags varying in widths may be accommodated slida'ble plates 15 and 16 are'insertedadjacent the side walls of said slot 14 and in View ofthe thumbscrews and 18, operating inl slots 19 and 20ct said base 6, said plateslland'lmay be individu'-v ally and jointly operated tovary the width of said slot 14 for the purpose mentioned hereinbefore. Said base 6 is also provided with another slot 21, arranged intermediate said slots 19 and 20, a headed screw 22, (see Figs. 3 and 5) being slidably arranged in said slot 21 and adapted to be fixed in any position along said slot by means of a thumb nut 23 to adjust the degree of insertion'of a tag A into said slot 14. ln order that the laundry tag A may be positively arranged in proper position within said slot 14 during the printing operation, I further propose to provide a tag locating pin 24, (see Fig. 8) which is reciprocatorily mounted in the ,aperture 25 arranged in the boss 26 rising from said base 6. Said boss 26 is provided with a pair of ears 27, (see Fig. 3), which pivotally support the tag release lever 28 by means of pin 29, and it will be noted that said lever 28 is forked at 30 to straddle the pin 24 between its spaced heads 31 and 32, and it is obvious that as said lever 28 is rocked by means to be described in detail hereinafter, said pin 24 will be reciprocated to bring the pin point 24a into engagement with and disengagement from said tag A.

rllie upper frontal-part of said upstanding portion 7 of the main frame 5 presents a relatively thickened portion 33 which is cutaway centrally to present a rece-ss 34 for the reception of a slide 35, (see Figs. 1 and 3), the latter being held in recess 34 by means of gibs 36 and 37 suitably aiiXed to said upstanding portion 7 as by means of screws 38, or the like. Said slide assumes two positions, that is, the elevated position, shown in Figs. 1 and 7, and the printing position as depicted in Fig. 6, suitable means being provided to maintain said slide in its elevated condition, to drop it to the so-called printing position and finally to restore the same to its initial position, i. e. elevated condition. Gn reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that a trip dog 39 is pivotally borne by said slide by'means of bolt 40 which passes through said slide to be engaged by nut 41 on the rear face of said slide, (see Fig. 2). rlhe upper portion of said dog 39 is provided with a cam surface 42 and notch 43, the latter being adapted to engage the projected end of pin 44 afiixed to the upstanding portion 7 by means of nut 45 also positioned on-tlie rear face'of the former. Said slide 35 is also provided with an apertured lug 46, (see Figs. 1 and 4), for the reception of the pressure bar 47 having an apertured head 48 for pivotal engagement with Vthe bifurcated end 49 of the operating lever 50, see Fig. 3), said lever being aiiired to pin 51 pivotally borne by said upstanding portion 7. Said pin 51 alsohas afhied thereto the pedal lever- 52 which pivotally carries the rod v53 at its outer end, said rod extending downwardly for conf.

1 and it is also manifest that when disengagement between said notched portion and saidpin takes place, saidslide will'drop by gravity to the so-called printing position shown in Fig. 6. As stated hereinbefore, said operating lever 50 and said pedal lever 52 are pinned to the pin 51 pivotally borne by-the main frame, and, obviously, theyioscillate in unison. Therefore, theoscillatory motion imparted tosaid pedal lever 52 by a downward pull on said rod 53 is 'communicated to said operating lever 50 and this motion causes said pressure bar 47 to slide downwardly through the apertured lug 46, thus tensioning spring 54, and as the rounded endof said leg 49a encounters the cam surface 42 of said dog 39'its continued arcual swing disengages the notch 43 from said pin 44 and the slide is free to i drop downwardly to the position indicated in Fig. 6. It will be understood that the spring 54 has been tensioned prior to the disengagement of the dog andpi'n 44 and as the above' disengagement takes place the inertia of said tensioned spring tends to further accentuate the downward movement of said slide, and it may be said that this accentuation imparts a snap to said slide which adds to the clarity of the impression made by certain quantityindicating characters. Of course, when the slide has dropped to the position mentioned, the spring 54 is no longer contracted and said spring assumes the condition shown in said Fig. 6. On inspection ofFigs. 1 and 6 it will be noted that said slide 35 is provided with a `slot 55 so that the pin 44 borne by the main frame does not interfere with the movement of said slide. Further, it will be noted that said dog 39 is somewhat under they control of spring 56 which has one end secured to said dog and its other end anchored under said lug 46 so thatsaid dog is oscillated toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, and assumes the position shown in Fig. 6, that is, with its cam surface 42 bearing against the projected end of said pin 44.

Vihen a downward Vpull is exerted on the rod 53, as by means of a foot pedal, or the like, the spring 57, which is connected to a suitable support 58 and said rod 53, is tensioned, and as soon as the power Aapplied tosaid rod 53 is suspended, said spring exerts an upward pull'on said rod 53 and this movement is communicated to the pressure'V bar 47 by way of levers 52-50 and since said bar is provided with an afii'ired collar 59 beneath said lug 46, the upward movement 0f thebar is'imparted itt ira

ing the movement of the slide will bei explained hereinafter and it will be appreciated at this time that the aforesaidv reference to printing refers to a certain type or quantity-indicating character-bearing roller borne by said slide and which is about to be de'- scribed in detail.

' The lower portion of saidslide 35, andj the parts associated with saidportion, arey I normally concealed` by the type roll cover 59a which is afiixed to said slide by means vof screws 60, and as shownin Fig. 9sa1d cover Y and said slide cooperate to serve as journals forthe ends of the stub shaft 61, type roll62 Y and pinion 63 being affixed to said shaft. The cover is constructed so that the type roll and the spring 64 are housed therein, the latter having one end secured to said cover, as vindicated at 65, and having its other endaiiixed to said shaft 61 as shown at 66. In view of this arrangementit is obvious that a counterclockwise movement of said shaft andV type roll, as viewedin Fig. 1, will tension said spring 64'. Upon inspection of Fig. 7 it will be observed that the lower portion lof said -slide is provided with a plurality of interconnected recesses and in their preferred arrangement, recess 67 receives the pinion 63, while the lrack 68slidably operates in a somewhat elongated recess 69. The bottom of said racky 68 is provided with gear teeth whichV mesh with the teeth of said pinion 63, whilst the topthereof is supplied with ratchet teeth for cooperation with the type register pawl 70 and the index pawl 71, both operating in the recess 72. A double leaf spring 73, en-

gaging said pawls 70 and 71, is also suitably affixed to the slide 35 within said recess 72. Now the type register pawl 70 is provided with (a lug 74 and a shank 75, (see Fig. 6), the latter passing through the slide from front to rear where it receives the bell crank 76, (see Y Figs. 2 and 5), having a projection 77 at its outer end.

The `index pawl 71 is pivotally supported by oneend of the index lever 78, as

indicatedat 79, said lever being secured to the shank portion 80, (see Fig. 2), of the bell crank 82,-by means of nut 81.' t will Ybe not- Ved that said bell crank 82 is provided with a 1 projection 873 at its outer end, and that the the main frame-5. y

es Y

shank portion of said bell crank 82 is oscillatorily borne by the upstanding portion .7 of

The pinv holder receptacle 84 providedV with an integral bracket 85 which is suitably apertured for the reception of screws 86 for attachment to the block 12 of the main frame 5. Said receptacle 84 is vprovided with a bore 87, open at the bottom as indicated at88, (see Fig. 4), whilst its upper portion is provided with a longitudinally'extending slot 89 for the reception of the slidable index vbar 90, a closure member 91 being aiiixed to the. top of said receptacle by means of screws 92.

Y The ejector ram 93 is provided with a head 94, adapted'to-reciprocatein thebore 87 of said receptacle 84, whilst its other extremity is supported and passed through an aperture 95 in the web 11', a stop collar 96 being suitably afiixed to the extreme end of said ram 93. Upon inspection of Figs. 4 and 5 it vwill be noted that said ram is provided with a rail 97 lwhich rides inthe slot 98 formed in the bracket 85 `of said receptacle 84,r thus preventing twisting or turning of said ram. The intermediate portion 99 of said ram, adjacent the head 94, is recessed, as indicated at 100, to provide operating spacev for the bell crank 82 and to define a shoulder 101',

(see Fig. 3), while the remainder of said ram to the stop collar is preferably circular yin cross-section to define an abutment 102 for the'spring 103 which encircles the circular vportion between said abutment and the web 11. Y Y Y As shown in Figs. 2 and 5,' the control dog 104 is pivotally attached tothe upstanding portion 7 ofthe main frame 5v by means of the screw 105, said dog 104 extending along the rear of said upstanding portion 7 underlying the receptacle 84 with itsnose portion 106 urged in intimate contact with said Vrail 97, in view of the spring 107, when said dog 104 is in the position'indicated'in Fig. 5.v

Said dog is also-provided with a detent 108 which abuts the lever 28,asshown in Fig. 8,

and as shown in Figs. 2 andV 3 saiddog is o also provided with a pin 109 disposed below the block 110 carried by the rear face of said. slide 35.

'j The pin holder 111, which is adaptedto be partially housed by said receptacle 84, comprises a somewhat tubular body portion 112, (see Figs. 13vr and 14) ,having a'thickened bottom 113 adapted to receive posts'114 extending longitudinally within said body portion.

vUpon inspection of Fig. 16 it will be noted that'said body portion 112'is provided with longitudinally ext-ending opening Y115, said opening functioning to permit the assembling of certain identifying pins or checks c with the holder, as will presently appear.

The open end of said body port-ion112 isV normally closed by a lid A116, having its lower portion thickened to presentiablock 117 sion 118v which is provided with apertured overhanging-said opening 115, while its up- Y per' portlon is `projected to define an exten- Alar/:terzo to the' ears 120 of saidholderby'meansof a pin 121. In order that said lid 116 may be urgedto a closed position, I provide a coiled tension spring 122 which encircles said pin 121, one end of said spring being held by the lug 123, of the lid 116, whilst its other end abuts the body portion of the holder, so Y said holder is entered into said receptacle, the

rear portion 113V of said holder lencounters the head 94 of the ram 99 and as the yinsertionis continued the nose portion 106 of said control dog 104 glides along the rail 97 until it snaps over the extension 125 of the rear wall 113, thus maintaining said holder inthe position indicated in Fig. 2. At the same time the lug 123 of the lid 116 engages the snout 126 of the index bar 90 and the latter is moved. inwardly tensioning spring 127 mounted within a recess 128 formed in said bar 90, (see Fig. It will be noted that one end or said spring abuts one wall of said recess 128 whilst its other end encounters a fixed pin 129 carried by the closure member 91.

The pin holder 111 is somewhat similar to the laundry device described and claimed in my Patent No.A 1,817, 821, dated Aug. 4, 1931, with the exception that in the present instance l have provided means whereby only one pin or check can be entered into, or removed from said holder, at one time. Said mea-ns embodies a four-point starrwheel 130 which is rotatably mounted between. spaced ears-131 of the -holder 111, by means of pin 132, as shown in Fig. 16. As shown in Fig. 17 the pins B arejuxtaposed along the posts 114, each of said pins, in the present instance, comprising a single piece of wirer 133, (see Fig. 12), which is formed with a loop 134, one of the projecting ends being secured within a shield 135, while the other end presents a sharpened portion 136 which may be sheathed within said shield or removed therefrom as desired. A plate 137 lits over said loop 134, the marginal portion thereof being preferably bent around said loop, and as shown in Fig. 12, said plate is provided with a plurality'of apertures 138 having a cross-sectional area equal to the cross-sectional area of said posts 114 and corresponding in arrangement therewith.v

Returning now to Fig. 17 it will be noted th at in the event it is attempted to remove more than one pin at a time from the pin holder, the second pin` is encountered by the toothT 139 of the Awheel 130, thus retarding f and preventing the rotation of the latter, in

view of theapparent binding action. As the` adjacent tooth4 140 ispositioned in advance of the first pin and has vits end portionV abutting the same, itis obviousth at neither pin can be removed until the second pin is moved rea-r- Wardlyto 4permit the escape of said tooth 1.39 and the subsequent turning of the tooth 139; Vihen aysingle pin is removed, it en-Hr counters onetooth and as the particular; pin used has -a thickness less than the interven-` ing space between the adjacent teeth, said pin is passed 'freely between said teeth. This nis a feature of soine importance. Vhilethe present disclosure shows the adoption of a four-point star wheel, whichisactuated and permitted to rotate freely in View of the corresponding thickness of the pin, it will be understood that in view of the varying thicl-V nesses of the pins that will be used in many instances, the four-point arrangement-will be subjected to somevariatio'n and obviously in some instances said star will beprovided with a varying number of points to permit the release or' one of the several size pins which vary in thickness.V Y Y l Y As .pointed out in my aforesaid patent, Va single pin holder is provided for each article, or eachclassof articles, or evenfor the par; ticular articles, received from a customer of the laundry. Gn the other hand a plurality flo of pins or checks will be provided, eachl pin Y having apertures in its plate137-shaped and positioned toregister with theposts of a holder, and hence only articles bearing a pin, corresponding to the posts ina holder, can be assembled together. The arrangement or shape of the posts is not fixed, sincey it is possible to arrange numerous Acombinations byijvvarying the spaces between the posts and the cross-sectionalarea thereof. f

VHereinbefore itv has been pointed out how the pin holder 111 is, held in position within v the receptacle 84 and its operation'jon'the index bar 90V wherein the' latteris adapted to bereciprocated within the slot 89. Y And it has been shown how the'slide 35 and the type roll 62A are held in anA elevated'posi-V tion,-`dropped to printing position and re- Ystored totheir initial condition. However, before said pin holder is inserted withinthe receptacle 84 a certain operation is necessary attending the handling of articles received in a laundry andthe operation of the machine and lits further details of construction will be explained after this operation has been pointed out.

After the articlesin a bundle of laundry have been examined, the clerk selects a pin holder for the customer and a laundry Ltag on whichis written the name ofthe customer, and in the event a single class of articles is being handled, the tag used will be Asimilar to that shown'in Fig.- 10 and for Y purposes of illustration it assumed vthat shirts constitute the class of articles in hand. The holder will, of course, contain a plurality of pins and'in the present exempl-iiication the number. of pins contained will be considered as16, though this number will vary inV many instances. The clerkV now removes a single pin from the holder and aflixes the same to the tag and thus it is obvious that in this instancelifteen pins'remain in theV holder when the latter is inserted in its receptacle 84, as shown in Fig. 1. An examination Vof they bundle of laundry reveals that two shirts have been sentl in by the customer, whereupony the cle-rk grasps a singlei pin, slides the same along the posts 114 inthe holder and as it passesthe wheely 130 the lid 116 is encountered, the latter opening suiiciently to permit the removal of the pin and as it 'swings on its pivot the vlug 123 presses against the snout 126 of the index bar 90 andslides the Vsame inwardly andV tensioning'the spring 127 explained hereinbefore. Pin 141 carried by said bar 90 prevents undue inward'movement o-f the latter.

' Uponv inspection of Fig. 2 it will be seen that the said index bar 90 is :provided with a '(see Fig. 1) to move the index pawl 71 toward the-center of the machine.

fsa

In said Fig. l1, the rack barv 68 is shown in dotted outline and when the said machine andY its parts are in the position shown in v1, said index pawl` 71 and type register pawl 70 will both be in engagement with .the ratchet teeth rarranged inthe top of said rack j bar. An inspectionof Fig. 7 will reveal the precise construction of said rack bar.. In Fig. 4 said rack bar 68 has its .end in dotted Voutline and it will beA appreciated .that it is of vsufficient width to perm-it the .arrangement of said Vpawls 70 andv 71 in juxtaposition without interference in their movements. It is now apparent that as the indexpawl moves toward the center of the machine its engagement with the ratchet teeth of said rack bar causes the latter to advance one tooth and in view of the en-A meshmentof the gear teeth of the rack .bar with those ofthe pinion 63, lthetype roller 62 is turned, and further since the rotation of" said roller is counter-clockwise, said lspring64 begins to tension. It is obvious tooth to hold the bar |68 its advanced position. y

As soon as the pin has been removed from its holder, thespring-tensioned lid 116 closes and this movement permits the index bar 90 to slide outwardly, in view of thel tensioned yspring 127 and this outward movement-is In that two clerk removes another pin and the aforesaid parts operateas pointed out hereinbefore to advance the rackl bar another tooth and the type roll is also rotated to bring the next quantity-indicating character into printing position.

In the present example of the invention, said type roller 62 will be provided' with quantity-indicating characters from l0 to 15, and as one pin is removed from its holder, the character 1 will be brought into printing position whilst the other characters will move in sequence in accordance with the number of pins removed. The pins removedfrom the machine will be attachedto the shirts and the same are now ready for transfer to lthe cleansing and laundering department. 'The machine is now ready to print on the laundry tag, but before discussing this operation'it is necessary to return tothat portion of the Ausage of the ymachine andthe description of that particular procedure'in alaundry wherein the clerk was preparing the laundry tag.

' VIt has been. stated hereinbefore thatv the clerk places the name of the customer on the laundry tag, aixes' a selected pin .thereto and then places the holder inthe receptacle and .proceedsto remove pins therefrom vto lagree Awith the number of articles on hand. Just before said holder is inserted the receptacle it is necessary to place the laundry vtag in `the slot 14 since the tag locating pinis now elevatedto vthe position shown in Fig. 8. It will be recalled thatV theslides 15 and 16 are adjustableto suit varying sizes of laundry ,tags and that the headed screw 22 is adjustable to bring the blank space opposite the word shirt yon said tag directly beneath `the proper quantity-indicating character on the vtype roll. These adjustments having been madevthe tag lmay be inserted in :the slot 14, and when the pin holder is inserted in the receptacle and the nose portion 106 of the dog 104 has engaged behind the extension .125i of therear wall 113 of said pin holder, .the -detent 108, on said -dog1'04, moves up- `/vvardly fromtheposition shown in Fig, 8 and in view of the leaf' spring v1.44, said tab reinserted in the slot 14, and as said roll 62 has been operated to bring the character 2 into printing position it is obvious that sain character will be impressed on said tag opposite the word shirts as indicated' at 145 in Fig. 10.

. It will be remembered that said pawl 7 0 is adapted to hold the rack bar 68 in the position to which it has been advanced by the operation of the pawl 71 during the counting operation, and it will further be recalled that said pawl 70 is adapted to oscillate in the slide 35,;whilst the pawl 71 is under the control of oscillatory means borne by the main frame 5. rlhus, said pawl 70 descends and ascends with the slide and hence does not change its function of maintaining said rack bar in its advanced position during the drop of the slide and during the operation of printing on the laundry tag. Thepawl 71, on the contrary, swings downwardly with its ratchet teeth engaging portion resting on the lug 74 of said pawl 70. An inspection of Figs. 1 and 6 will clearly show the relativeV positions of said pawls, and it will be noted in said Fig. 6 that the double leaf spring 73 holds said pawls in the positions indicated. An inspection of Figs. 2 and 5 will reveal the positions assumed by the bell cranks 76 and82, which are connected to the pawls 7 0 and 71, respectively, when the slide is elevated, (F ig. 2) and when the slide has dropped, (Fig.5).

It will be remembered that the block 110 is carried by the rear face of said slide 35 and hence it descends with the latter element,

l and since the pin 109 on said dog 104 is positioned directly beneath said block 110, (see Figs. 2 and 3), said block, during its downward travel, encounters said pin, thus swinging said dog 104 downwardly and disengaging the nose portion 106 thereof from the extension 125 of the pin holder. The spring 103, which was tensioned during the insertion of the pin holder in its receptacle, now spends itsvenergy in sliding the ram 99 to the position shown in Fig. and thus the pin holder is ejected from its receptacle. At. the same time the detent 108 of said dog 104 abuts the lever 28, (see Fig. 8), and the pin point 24a,y

is disengaged from the tag A, which may be removed for transfer to the accounting and assembling departments of the laundry.

It is obvious that the index bar 90, under the influence of the tensioned spring 127, will slide along the slot 128 to the position shown in Fig. 5, whereas the sliding movement of said ram 99 will be limited by the stop collar 96, also shown in Fig. 5. Y

The slide and type rollonly remains in their lowered-positions long enough to make the imprint on the laundry tag and as soon as the downward pull of said rod 53 is suspended, the expansile spring 57 cause said slide and type roll to resume their initial positions, as explained in detail hereinbefore. However, it should be remembered that the ejector ram has now assumedthe position shown in Fig. 5, wherein the recess 100, (see Fig. 3) has moved to the left and that portion of the ram 99 adjacent said shoulder 101 is in the path of the projection 77 of said bell crank 76, and hence, as the slide moves upwardly the abutment ofV said projection 77 with the portion Vadjacent said shoulder 101 causes said bell crank 76 to swing downwardly and in view of its connection with said pawl 70, the latter is swung upwardly and out of engagement with the ratchet teeth in said rack bar, and as it will be recalled the spring 64, (Fig. 9) was tensioned during the rotation of said type roll, it is obvious that said rack bar now assumes the position shown in Fig. 7 and the type roll rotates back to 0. At the same time the lug 74 on pawl 70 swings said pawl 71 to the position indicated in F ig. 7. rhus it would appear that the machine prints, releases the tag locating pin, ejects the pin holder and restores the type roll to its initial or,0 position by a single operation of a foot pedal, or the like.

The parts of the machine are positioned substantiallyas indicated in Fig. 5, with the exception that the slide and pedal lever 52 are elevated and the bell crank 76 is swung downwardly with its projection held against the lower face ofthat portion of the ram adjacent said shoulder 101, as explained hereinbefore. Also said pawls and 71 are. elevated abovefthe rack bar 68 as shown in Fig. 7, but when the clerk inserts the pin holder, as explained hereinbefore, the ejector ram slides inwardly thus moving the portion of the ram adjacent saidshoulder 101 out of the path Vof the projection 77 of said bell crank 76, whereupon the recess 100, in said ram, permits the said bell crank to swing upwardly to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and the pawl .70 under the influence of the tensioned leaf spring 73 drops to the position shown in Fig. 1 and thus Vengages the ratchet teeth of said rack bar. Similarly said pawl 71 drops in unison with said pawl` 70 and engages the ratchet teeth of said rack bar, whereupon the usual counting operation may be resumed. Y

The ink ribbon mechanism, referred to hereinbefore, comprises spools 146 and 147 carried by the` lateral arms 9 and 10 respectively, of the main frame 5, by means of screws 148 and 149. Each of said screws is provided with ratch'etrwheels 150 and 151,

loosely mounted thereon and leach being provided with pins 152, (see 1) to engage in the usual oilisetopenings in the vordinary typewriter ribbon spool. Said screws 1118 and 149- also carry reverse masks 153 and 154i, which arealso loosely mounted thereon,

and which are provided with. operating handles 155 and 156, wherebyv said masks may be partially rotated to cover the ratchet teeth of a selected ratchet wheel, said masks being held in a selected position bymeans of the leaf springs 157 and 158, each having a dey tent 159 to securesaid masks in thedesired positions; Sprlng-tensioned pawls 159m and 160 are also provided which cooperate with the ratchet wheels 150 and 151 respectively,

the former being pivotally borne by a lever 161, pivoted to the main frame 5, asindicated at'162, (see Fig'. 1) and having one end eX-.

' mask 153 has uncovered the ratchet teeth of the wheel 150, said pawl 159e is free to engage said ratchet teeth and to rotate said spool 146 when the pin 158 rises with the slide and encounters the end of the lever. 161.

The ribbon is now travelling toward the spool 1&6, andthe ribbon 166 isinoved a short distance during each printing operation.

In order to reverse the direction of the travel of saidribbon 166said mask .153 is oscillated to remove said pawl 159e from its engagement with the ratchet wheel 150 and the ratchet-teeth atthis particular point are covered, as is obvious. The mask 154 associated with ratchet wheel 151 is also oscillated to Vuncover the ratchet teeth of said ratchet wheel, acent said pawl 160, whereby the latter may engage and rotate said wheel 151, and its associated spool 141-7 step by step. Said pawl 1GO is operated in conjunction with the movement of the pedal lever 52, and upon inspection of Figs. 2 and 1, it will be noted that a lever 167 may be mounted on said pin 51 to oscillate in unison therewith, aid lever 167 carrying a screw 168'at one end to which is pivotally mounted said pawl 1GO, a suitable spacer sleeve 169 being employed to bring' said pawl in allinement with said wheel l151. When the lever 52 is depressed the pawl rides upwardly onto the ratchet teeth of said wheel 151, but when the lever 52 is restored to its initial position, said pawl 160 engages the ratchet wheel and rotates the same, as is obvious. The ribbon can thus be made to travel in both directions across the opening 170 inthe base 6, certain handled, and by mechanism, andincreasing the numberof pin guide rolls 171 'and 172 serving to arrange said ribbon in horizontal spaced relation above said opening, and directly beneath the or packing roornY of the laundry, andas stated hereinbefore, the tag A is iinally sent to thek same department, where said tag and said pin holder await the coming of the laundered articles. Prior to the arrival of the laundered shirts yin the packing room, the clerk has previously assembled the proper tag and the proper pin holder and it hasA been observed by said clerk that two shirts are to be expected which belong 'to the party listed on said tag and which will bearpins corresponding to said pin holder. Assoon as the goods are received, the clerk compares the pins on the shirts with the pin holder and after corresponding pins and holdersare found the pins arev removed, and as the tag is printed 2 the clerk knows that the count is complete, whereupon the shirts are ready to be packed and delivered.y Y

The machine is very compact and occupies but a small amount of space, and inV order that no injury may occur to the operator, a cover plate 174 may be affixed to the rear face of the upstanding portion 7 to conceal the mechanism thereat. In Fig. 2 said plate 174 has been broken away.r

From the foregoing it will be seen that the laundry tag is stamped with a number agreeing with the number of pins removed from the pin holder while the latter is actually in the machineand it will be recalled that it is the lift-ing of the lid of the holder that sets in motion' the mechanism for operating the printing type roll.

The machine may n 58 by means yor bolts173, see Fig. 1, and a foot pedal may be used to operate said rod 53, or any other suitable source of power.

' While the specification has referred to shirts as the article to be handled, it will be appreciated that this reference is illustrative rather than restrictive.k It will be readily understood that any class of articles may be duplicating the printing holders and their receptacles dinperent classes of goodsmay be handled at the same time.

While the presentk is a disclosure of the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, as various changes in the minor detailsoi construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit o the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with a pin holder adapted to contain identifyingpins, of a type roll havbe secured toa support soV ing quantity-indicating characters thereon, a receptacle for operatively attaching said pin holder to said device, means operated by a removal of a pin from the holder to rotate ,said type roll and means for lowering said the combination with a pin holder adapted to contain identifying pins, of a printable type roll having quantity-indicating characters thereon, a receptacle carried by the device, means for operatively securing said pin holder in said receptacle, means operated by the removal of pins from the holder to rotate said type roll and to advance the characters thereon step by step, means for clamping a tag beneath said type roll, means for lowering said type roll to impress a character on said tag and means operated by said lowering means to eject the pin holder from its receptacle and to permit the release of the tag from the machine.

4. In a device of the character described, vthe combination with a pin holder adapted to conta-in identifying pins, of a printable type roll having quantity-indicating characters thereon, a receptacle carried by the device, means for operatively securing said pin 'holder in said receptacle, means operated by the removal of pins from the holder to rotate said type roll and to advance the characters thereon in sequential relation to the number of pins removed from said holder, means for clamping a tag beneath said type roll when said pin holder is inserted in said receptacle, means for lowering said type roll to impress a character on said tag and means operated by said lowering means to eject the pin holder from its receptacle, to restore said type roll to its initial position and to permit the release of the tag from the machine.

5. In a. device of the character described, the combination with a pin holder adapted to contain identifying pins, of a printable type roll having quantity-indicating charcters thereon, a reciprocatory slide for supporting said roll, a receptacle attached to said device, means for operatively securing said pin holder in said receptacle, means operated by the removal of the pins from the holder to advance said type roll step by step, means for maintaining said roll in its advanced rotated position as single pins are removed from said holder, and means for reciprocating said slide and roll to printing position and to eject said holder from said receptacle.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a. pin holder adapted to contain identifying pins,'of a printable type roll having quanti"rr-indicating` characters thereon, a reciproeatory sli defer supporting sai d roli, a receptacle. attached to said device, means for operativelysecuring said 'join holder in said receptacle,means operated by the removal of the .pins to rotate said type roll step by step, means for maintaining said roli mits advanced rotated positionas vpins areretvneved from said holder, means for clampln'g a tag beneath said type roll, means for reciprocating said slideand roll to impress al character on said tag and` means operating during the reciprocation of sli de to eject said holder fromcits receptacle, to restore said type roll to its initial position and to permit thcremoval of the tag from the device. j l

7, In' a device of the characterdescribed, the combination with a pin holder adapted to contain identifying pins, of a printable spring-tensioned type roll having quantity.- indicating characters t Lereon, a reciprocatory slide carrying said roll, means vfor maintainsaid slide and roll in elevated position, a receptacle attached to said device, means for operatively` connecting said pin holder within said receptacle, means operated by a removal of a pin from said holder to rotate said type roll, means for maintaining said roll in its rotated condition as single pins are removed from said holder, means for clamping' a tag beneath. said type roll, said means being` operated by the insertion of the pin holderi n said receptacle, means for reciprocating said slide and roll and means operated duringthe reciprccation of said slide whereby said type roll is freed to return to its initial position and whereby said pin holder and tag arc rendered releasable from said device.

8. In a device of the Vcharacter described, the combination with a pin holder adapted to contain identifying pins, of a printable spring-tensioned type roll having quantityindicating characters thereon, a reciprocatory slide carrying said roll, means for main.- taining said slide and roll in an elevated position, a receptacle attached to said device, means for operatively connecting said pin holder within said receptacle, means operated by the removal of the pins from theholder to rotate said roll step by step, means for maintaining said roll in its rotated condition during the removal of Single pins from the holder, means for clamping a tagv 1 O n 1,815,187Q

operable fduring Athe reciprocation of said. slide, and means operated during the reciprocation of said slide toV eject said receptacle,. to restore said roll to itsV initial position and to release said tag.

v 9. In a device of the character described including a reciprocatory printable type roll adapted to be rotated step by step and slid able means forrotating said roll, of a pin.

Y mi' holder adapted to be 'attached to said ma chine, said pin holder comprising aV springtensioned lid having a lug adapted to con-- tact and reciprocate said slidable means to rotate said type roll as the lid is opened.

. 10. In a device of the character described, the combination With a pin holder having a lid and adapted to contain identifying pins, of a type roll having quantity-indicating characters thereon and means operated by the opening of the lid of said pin holder to-rotate said type roll. y

11. In a device of the character described,

Vthe combination `With a pin holder having a lid and adapted to contain identifying pins, l of a type roll having quantity-indicating characters thereon, means for attaching said pin holder to the device and means operated by the opening of the lid of said pin holder to rotate said type roll.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HENRY I-IIRSCH. 

